Interpretive Summary: Information about the chemical composition of soybean cultivars and environmental impact on their composition is important for processors and exporters to meet the demand of niche markets. In Brazil, soybeans are produced in regions that include environments from 32 deg S to 5 deg N latitude. Therefore a study to determine tocopherol contents in different Brazilian soybean cultivars and sowing locations is relevant. Eighty-nine different soybean cultivars and soybeans sown in different locations of South and Northeast regions of Brazil were analyzed. A large range of variability was observed: for alpha-tocopherol, 11-191 ppm; for beta-tocopherol, 6-64 ppm; for delta-tocopherol, 304-1333 ppm; for gamma-tocopherol, 174-580 ppm and for total tocopherols, 561-1983 ppm. Breeding soybeans to enhance tocopherol composition, mainly alpha and delta-tocopherols is important because of their nutritional and functional effects on the stability of food systems and in human health.

Technical Abstract:
Information about the chemical composition of soybean cultivars (cvs.) and environmental impact on their composition is important for processors and exporters to meet the demand of niche markets. Tocopherol composition (alpha, beta, delta, gamma, and total), was analyzed in seeds of 89 Brazilian soybean cultivars grown under fertile soil in Ponta Grossa, Parana state, Brazil, in 2001. A large range of variability was observed: for alpha-tocopherol, 11ppm (cv. Davis) to 191ppm (cv. IPB-T); for beta-tocopherol, 6ppm (cv. IAC 1) to 64ppm (cv. IPB-T); for delta-tocopherol, 304ppm (BR62 Carla) to 1333ppm (cv. Bienville); for gamma-tocopherol, 174ppm (cv. UFV 15) to 580ppm (cv.IAS-5; and for total tocopherols, 561ppm (cv. BRS62 Carla) to 1983ppm (cv. BR4-RC). For comparison of different sowing locations, cv. MG/BR 46 Conquista was sown in 16 different locations of the Minas Gerais and Goias states (Central Region, ca. 17 deg South latitude). Higher content of total tocopherol was found in Conquista, Uberaba, Sacramento, and Cerrado, while lower contents were observed in Alvorada, Iraí, and Uberlandia. At the South region (ca. 23 deg South latitude), the cultivar IAS 5, sown in 12 different locations of Parana and Sao Paulo states, showed high total tocopherol content in Londrina, Pedrinhas, Ponta Grossa, and Nuporanga, and lower amounts in Cascavel, Pirassununga, Luiziana, and Morro Agudo. Tocopherol content in soybean seeds was variable due to genetic differences as well as to the local environmental factors of different sowing locations.